Friction
by Jim Handy
Summary: Post X3. Sisters can be a blessing and a curse, especially when you share a hive mind.


All characters belong to Marvel comics and Fox.

--

"Esme, that's my brush!" - "You touch that bra one more time and you are dead , I swear to God" - _Soph, that girl is starting to creep me out. Maybe you and she should_ -_ I agree, is Ashida going to be_ - _She's my girlfriend, of course she's going to be spending time around us_ - _Well really now, if you'd warned us before hand that she was going to be in here at all hours, talking to you and blasting that horrid noise she has the nerve to call music_ - _Look, just SHUT UP, all of you! _- _Well, if you're going to be that way about it _- _Yes, I am, and you can just DEAL WITH IT_ - "Oh God, I am going to die of a headache before I get to class. Seriously, though. can I borrow your sports bra? Mine's in the laundry and I have gym first period -"

Her sister's chatter flowed through Mindee Stepford's ears and mind, a soothing morning ritual just as important and familiar as giving her hair its hundred strokes or brushing her teeth. She'd finished all that and was rooting around in their communal closet, trying to decide which blue sweater she wanted to wear today. Too old, too wrinkled, not blue enough - finally, she settled on one that fit all her criteria and was, more importantly, hers. Sometimes, this early in the morning it was hard for her to tell the identical clothes apart, to separate the distinct psychic signature that permeated her clothes from those of her sisters'.

"What're the rest of you doing after class?" she asked, pulling the sweater down over her head and carefully straightening it in front of the closet mirror. She thought she'd go with a nice, simple look today. She'd be spending a half hour in the music room with her piano, then go back after class. She knew Sophie was planning to do some after school tutoring with Mrs. Munroe, and Esme was heading down to the basketball court with Drake, Rasputin, and Ramsey. Pheobe and Celeste, though, were being a great deal more reticent about their plans than usual. They were blocking off that portion of their thoughts from their sisters.

Phoebe just gave a minor, almost unnoticeable shrug. As usual, she replied telepathically. _I don't know. Probably heading out to Salem Center. Maybe going to the mall with Jubilee. Depends._ And before they could reply, she was gone in a swirl of blue skirts. They looked around for Celeste, but she was already heading out after Phoebe, her back straight and a look in her eyes that promised trouble for anyone, relative or not, who got in her way.

Mindee sighed and walked out of the room before her other two sisters could comment. Phoebe and Celeste had been tenser than usual in the weeks after all the death and chaos and that horrific battle at San Francisco. She wished she understood why, exactly. Oh, she knew that Phoebe had been taking psionic lessons with Doctor Grey, and the silence after news of the outcome had made its way back to the mansion had been horrible for all five of them, but shutting them all out for so long - it seemed a little excessive. As for Celeste, the return of Mrs. Frost as their instructor had unnerved all of them, but she seemed to be taking it awfully hard.

She tried to put it all out of her mind as she walked down the halls of Xavier's academy (if it could still be called that), reveling in the sound of minds she hadn't been listening to for her whole life. The bonds between her sisters could be as much a prison as a security blanket, some times. She'd never thought that she could spend too much time wrapped up in her sisters' minds, but these past few weeks had proven her wrong on that score.

Music helped some. Finally making her way to the old ballroom in the west wing of the mansion that had been set aside as a music room when Charles Xavier opened his school, she wandered over to a piano that sat by a large window facing out onto the grounds, letting in the spectacular morning sunlight. Lifting the lid and sitting down on the worn bench, she took a moment to warm up before thumbing through one of the songbooks stacked beside it, trying to decide what to play. After spending a month in mourning with the rest of the school, she didn't feel up to playing another sad song, but none of the others really seemed appropriate. Before she could find one that appealed, the unmistakable twang of Jay Guthrie's guitar sounded from behind her.

Turning around and fixing the youngest Guthrie with what she hoped was a fearsome glare, Mindee sighed inside. She should have expected this. Jay was the only other student besides Jono who came here so early in the morning, and Starsmore always seemed to need to make up for his missing voice by being as loud as possible. The soft sound of the door opening and closing behind her could have been anyone, and for a moment she'd hoped that it was anyone other than him.

Jay looked up and raised an eyebrow at her. "What's the matter, Dee? My unsophisticated music just a little too rough this fine mornin'?"

Ignore him. It was the only way they could practice in the same room and stay sane. Slowly, she started running through some basic scales to warm up. She'd decided on something slow and melancholy, to fit the mood of -

"Could you quiet down? I'm tryin' to get this stupid song down for music class and you're making it damn hard to focus."

Screw ignoring. Slamming the keyboard shut, she stalked over to where Guthrie sat, picking at his stupid blue guitar and looking up at her with an expression of supreme unconcern.

"You think you're such hot shit, don't you?" she hissed. "Just because big brother's go to be an X-man and the music teacher always goes crazy over your special fucking voice. Ever since you got here, you've been strutting around like you own the place, taking up time real musicians could be using to work on music that doesn't sound like cats in a blender, and taking off your shirt all the damn time like you're God's gift to women - and you're not, let me assure you, Pete's got you beaten in practically every category you can imagine, and a lot more you probably can't - but guess what? Not everyone's going to fall for that. You're not always going to be able to coast on that supposed Guthrie charm, or talk everyone into giving you chances you don't deserve. Keep that in mind, you smarmy little prick."

She didn't notice as her eyes started glowing bright blue. She did see his eyes widen and his face turn pale. Realizing what she was doing, she hastily drew her stronger brain waves back into her own mind.

Jay's fingers drifted down from his guitar. They stared at each other for a good long while as they tried to figure out what had just happened. Finally, Jay set his guitar down on a nearby chair and stood up slowly.

"I think," he began, his eyes never leaving hers, "that there's more going on here than I know. And I know you and your sisters are special, telepathic hive mind, all that fun stuff. But listen - if you've got something bothering you that you really need to work out, it might be best if you go looking for someone outside the family." He held up his hands in a warding gesture. "Not me. I'm no good at comforting and the like. Just that sometimes, your kin are too close to really help you sort out what's what. Just sayin'." And with that, he shuffled out of the room, not making eye contact.

Mindee sat back down at the piano, letting her hands drift over the keys as her mind wandered. For so long it had just been the five of them. The Five-In-One. They'd decided it would be their super hero name, after they'd arrived at Xavier's and student gossip had clued them into what happened down in the school's basement. With both parents gone more often then at home and few at the local high school willing to hand around the creepy sisters who always finished each other's sentences and only seemed interested in talking to each other. But now they were scattering, pulled apart by friendship and rivalry and loss and all that really living with their peers entailed. Once they'd have been able to talk it out in their minds, to meld and have no festering secrets spoil things. That kind of unity was looking less and less possible these days.

Flipping through the pages of her songbook, she started looking for something new. Something upbeat. It was about time for a change.


End file.
